Moral character and workplace deviance: recent research and current trends

Abstract

This article discusses contemporary research on moral character and workplace deviance. We take a personality perspective, meaning we view moral character as composed of characteristic patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior that are associated with morality. Whereas most research uses the Big Five model as an organizing framework for understanding personality structure, we instead recommend researchers use the HEXACO model. Honesty–Humility and Conscientiousness from the HEXACO are key indicators of moral character and predict workplace deviance. We also discuss guilt proneness and moral identity internalization — narrower moral character traits that predict workplace deviance but do not map exclusively onto the Big Five or HEXACO dimensions. Finally, we discuss measurement and modeling issues relevant to understanding moral character and workplace deviance.